Diet, social differentiation and cultural change in Roman Britain: new isotopic evidence from Gloucestershire

Abstract

This study uses stable isotope analyses (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of human bone collagen to reconstruct the diet of three Romano-British (first to early fifth century AD) populations from Gloucestershire in South West England. Gloucestershire was an important part of Roman Britain with two major administrative centres at Gloucester (Glevum) and Cirencester (Corinium) and numerous smaller settlements and farmsteads. To investigate potential dietary differences between the rural and urban populations of Roman Gloucestershire, we compared human bone collagen stable isotope values from 32 individuals from urban Gloucester with those of 46 individuals from two rural cemeteries at Horcott Quarry and Cotswold Community, respectively. Seven individuals from urban Gloucester were buried in a mass grave; all others were buried in single inhumations. Results show small but significant differences in stable isotope ratios between the urban and rural populations which indicate that the urban population might have consumed slightly more marine and/or freshwater resources than the people living in the rural communities. We interpret this difference as a direct reflection of Rome's influence on Gloucester's population and the town's economic status. Subtle differences in stable isotope ratios were also observed at the site level, as burial practice does correlate with diet in some cases. Overall, the results from this study demonstrate that diet, as reconstructed through stable isotope analysis, is a very sensitive, if settlementspecific, indicator of social differentiation and culture change.

Stable isotope and dental pathology evidence for diet in late Roman Winchester, England

“…Statistically significant sex differences in isotope values have been reported for some Romano-British populations Cheung et al, 2012;Cummings and Hedges, 2010;Fuller et al, 2006), but not others (Chenery et al, 2010b;Richards et al, 1998), suggesting that gender-based differences in diet were not consistent across the province. Sex differences, where identified, may reflect differing patterns and levels of male and female mobility rather than diet per se (cf.…”

“…Craig et al, 2009Craig et al, , 2013Prowse et al, 2004). Consumption of marine fish and fish products, e.g., garum (fish sauce) in the Roman period is welldocumented (Corcoran, 1963;Locker, 2007), although contribution to diet seemingly varied with location (coastal proximity), settlement type (urban versus rural), and social status (Cheung et al, 2012;Keenleyside et al, 2009;Prowse et al, 2004;Richards et al, 1998). Given its location and urban status, Winchester's inhabitants might have enjoyed access to a variety of marine and anadromous species, as well as imported garum and other fish products (Cool, 2006: 106;Locker, 2007).…”

“…More recently, stable isotope analysis has become a popular method for studying Romano-British dietary habits, providing direct evidence for consumption, and revealing how diet varied within and between populations (Müldner, 2013). However, isotopic data are often presented in isolation from other, complementary skeletal and dental evidence for diet, such as dental disease (e.g., Cheung et al, 2012;Richards et al, 1998). Stable isotope analysis allows reconstruction of individual as well as group diets, but predominantly gives information about protein intake (Tykot, 2004), while oral health reflects broader dietary habits at the population level (Hillson, 1979).…”

Going south of the river: A multidisciplinary analysis of ancestry, mobility and diet in a population from Roman Southwark, London

“…The results from the ten successfully analysed individuals are shown in Fig. 3 in comparison to other results on adults from Roman Britain [data for Dorset (Redfern, et al, 2010, Richards, et al, 1998, Queenford Farm (Fuller, et al, 2006), York (Müldner, et al, 2011b, Müldner andRichards, 2007), Catterick (Chenery, et al, 2011), Gravesend (Pollard, et al, 2011a), Gloucester , Cheung, et al, 2012, Cummings, 2008, Lankhills, Alchester, Asthall, Hucclecote, Stanton Harcourt (Cummings, 2008) and Tubney (Nehlich, et al, 2011) any, freshwater fish protein input into the diet. Within these results there are no significant differences in δ 13 C or δ 15 N by sex, ancestry or century (Table 4), though with such as small sample size, only gross differences would be detectable.…”

Dietary and behavioral inferences from dental pathology and non-masticatory wear on dentitions from a British medieval town

“…This location presents an opportunity to study diachronic changes a small geographical area. Previous studies provide comparative pathological and dietary information for Neolithic (Hedges et al, 2008), Roman (Cheung et al, 2012;Simmonds et al, 2008), and medieval populations (Dawson & Brown, 2011;Enright & Watts, 2002) from Gloucestershire and the town of Gloucester itself. Further comparisons can also be drawn with other medieval sites around the United Kingdom.…”